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November 30, 2013

Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas - Pallet Art

I love pallet art. I love the idea of using otherwise discarded or weathered wood and making it into a piece of art. And so, I finally made myself a sign using some wood scraps - not technically from a pallet, but similar in style.

I wanted to make a Christmas sign that I could wrap lights around, and I think this is a sweet saying. So, here's the quick how to: (No vinyl or cutting machine required on this one!)

Take your pallet wood, or wood scraps, and cut them all to similar lengths.

Line them up in the order you want them, face down some place where you can hammer away.
Set down 2 perpendicular pieces of wood (see picture below) that span the entire height of your sign - one on either end. Nail the perpendicular board into each of the horizonal boards. I used a couple nails for each section.

Once that is done, you can flip it over and paint it however you wish!

I first did a whitewash on the boards. Then I traced and painted the words.

This method is completed by first typing your text into a Word document. Make it the exact size, shape, and font that you will want to have it on your board. Set the text to show the outline only so that you can save on ink, and print all the text onto regular printer paper. [To create an outline only, highlight your text, right click and choose "font", click the "text effects" button at the bottom, choose "no fill" in the "text fill" tab. Then click the "text outline" tab and choose "solid line." Click "okay" and you should see an outline of the text only.]

Rub pencil generously on the back of the paper, set the paper pencil rubbed side down on the board where you want it, and trace hard around each letter. When you lift the paper, you will have a pencil outline of each letter on the wood. You can then follow this outline as you paint the words.

And that is it! I added some D-ring hanging hardware to the back, and now this simple hand painted pallet wood sign is all ready to hang up for Christmas!

I love having this cheery saying on my wall, and it adds the fun atmosphere of twinkle lights to the living room. Best of all, it was very inexpensive and simple to make.